With the beginning of the school year underway, Tammy Peters’ first grade class at Braden River Elementary School made promises they intend to keep.
After reading LeBron James’ “I Promise,” each student created their own illustration of their favorite line from the book before taking the book home to read with their families.
First grader Webb Brue (above) promised “to throw the alley-oop and uplift others on the spot.” Brue joined his classmates in making a class promise to keep their hands and feet to themselves, be nice and kind, listen to their teacher, work quietly and keep their area neat and clean.
Coastal has the drive to contribute
More than 400 kids in foster care go on a free shopping spree each month courtesy of the nonprofit, The Twig.
Most of the 4,000 pieces of clothes and accessories that go out each month are donated by residents and local businesses.
Coastal Orthopedics held a clothing drive for just one month, and employees filled three large boxes and several bags.
Coastal Orthopedics’ Paige LeMay, Denise Hack and Court Jackson (above) delivered the new and like-new items to The Twig on Aug. 12.
“We are so grateful for community partners like Coastal Orthopedics,” The Twig’s Nicole Britton said in a press release. “Support from drives are what keeps our mission in motion.”
Manatee considers road project detours
Caregiver George Hanneford gives Patty a scratch on the trunk during her bath.
Lame duck supervisor of elections under fire
James Satcher fired four SOE employees following his loss in the primary, and citizens have started a petition to ask for his removal.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
In 16 years, under three different supervisors, Voter Service Manager Chris Palmer said she was never written up or given a warning on the job.
“Chris never had a write-up put in her file in the 12 years I was there,” former Supervisor of Elections Mike Bennett said.
After current SOE James Satcher lost the Republican nomination on Aug. 20 to Bennett’s former Chief of Staff Scott Farrington, Palmer was one of four employees to be fired the following day. Two were full-time employees, and two were temporary employees.
Bennett said issuing written notices was part of the standard procedures while he served the office. Instead, an unsigned “separation letter” was put in Palmer’s employee file on Aug. 26. The letter states that Satcher only held off on firing Palmer because of the impending primary election.
From firing employees to requesting a $841,340 budget increase, Satcher’s actions have led to more than 2,000 citizens signing a petition demanding Gov. Ron DeSantis, who appointed him in April, to remove him.
LETTER
SEPARATION
The separation letter alleges Palmer took extended breaks without marking them on her timesheet, made an insubordinate cry, hired her friends as temporary workers and told employees to work slower.
The letter reads, “Ms. Palmer was overheard instructing a temporary
employee to ‘slow down,’ accompanied by a downward push hand motion. It is unclear whether this was an effort to create additional overtime opportunities for temporary staff or an effort to harm the office-wide goal of a safe and secure election.”
Palmer, Bennett and former temporary worker Teresa Margraf dispute the allegations.
“You’re not allowed to state an opinion that is different from (Satcher’s),” Palmer said. “He wants everyone to smile and agree and say he’s wonderful because he’s a narcissist. The atmosphere is depressing, and people are anxious.”
Mark Darnell was the other fulltime employee SOE Chief of Staff
David Ballard was charged with firing. He worked in the vote-by-mail department.
IT and Cyber Security Director Jonathan Clendenon addressed Darnell’s firing in an email:
“This decision was made following his failure to fulfill a critical
responsibility during the August Primary Election ... Mark chose to abandon his post, leaving the team severely understaffed on one of the most pivotal days of the year.”
Darnell did not return the East County Observer’s call for a comment.
Margraf is one of the two temporary workers who claims Ballard said “her services were not required this election season.” Margraf said she and Palmer were not friends before she was hired in 2010. They became friends over the years.
“It was always a fun job,” Margraf said. “They can survive without me, but they may be in trouble without Chris. She did the job of four people.” Margraf was adamant that it was not Palmer bullying insubordinates, it was Satcher who “chewed (Palmer) out in front of everyone.”
SAFE AND SECURE ELECTION
Bennett said citizens should be concerned about the turnover when it applies to Satcher’s promise of a
“safe and secure election.”
He said there’s been a loss of about 30 years of office experience between the employees who were let go.
“Everybody down there, of course, is on pins and needles because they’re firing people,” Bennett said. “But they’re professionals. They do their job.”
Even though Farrington won the primary, he still has to win the general election against a write-in candidate.
Bennett said he is confident that the procedures and remaining employees will ensure a safe and secure election.
Bennett could be appointed to fill in, but Commissioner George Kruse finds it unlikely that DeSantis would admit to making a mistake by removing Satcher.
“There were hundreds, if not thousands, of letters sent to DeSantis before the appointment, and it didn’t seem to make a difference,” Kruse said.
THE PETITION TO REMOVE SATCHER
The petition was started by former Manatee County Commissioner Joe McClash. As of Aug. 30, it had 2,091 signatures, and many included comments.
“I have been a poll worker for 15 years. I have never seen such mismanagement, chaos and highly stressed workers.”
— Bradenton’s Bonnie Haas
“He is disruptive, petty and retaliatory.”
— Parrish’s Tammy Johnson
“He is firing anyone he doesn’t care for.”
— Myakka City’s Barbara Burnett
“It is irresponsible to terminate long-standing employees who have clean records right before a major national election.”
— Bradenton’s Cynthia Mitchell
“As a poll worker, his negative impact on staff has been readily apparent.”
— Palmetto’s Elizabeth McPhillips
”I received duplicate registration cards, only days apart, wasting tax dollars.”
— Bradenton’s Leslie Shapiro
“He has placed our election integrity in jeopardy.”
— Myakka City’s Barbara Irving
“The county residents do not trust him.”
— Palmetto’s Regina Husser
Lesley Dwyer
Judge Gilbert A. Smith Jr. swears in James Satcher in April as the Supervisor of Elections. Satcher is joined by wife, Monica.
Commission to decide whether to defer road projects
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
No matter what happens, Manatee County officials assure residents that construction on Lena Road will continue until drivers can get from State Road 70 to State Road 64.
But while the northern and southern segments of Lena Road will no longer be separated, the project as a whole, as designed, will take longer to be completed if it is placed on the deferred project list that will be considered at a Manatee County Commission meeting Sept. 17.
Several other East County road projects are up in the air — as far as completion dates — if placed on the deferred projects list when Manatee County’s FY2025 budget is adopted at that meeting.
Public Works Director Chad Butzow delivered commissioners with a suggested list of “deferred projects” from the FY2025-2029 Capital Improvement Plan in August due to a lack of funds.
The transportation projects range from safety studies that haven’t been started yet to decade-long road projects that are underway.
“There’s absolutely nothing on that list that made me think we’d have traffic issues if we made that decision (to defer projects) because staff already had flushed that out,” Commissioner Ray Turner said. “There was a lot of careful thought put into those choices.”
Tom and Diane Carter celebrated when Commissioner George Kruse told them that improvements to Creekwood Boulevard landed on the list. A proposed roundabout at 73rd Street East would have impacted their backyard and the Carters vehemently opposed such construction.
Creekwood Boulevard was supposed to begin construction in August, and the Carters hope the project’s proposed deferred status means it never will come to fruition.
However, Manatee County officials said most projects landing on the deferred list only will experience short delays, if any delays at all, while allowing the county to space funding over an extended period of time.
Among the over $221 million worth of deferred projects, two are major, long-term road improvements on Lorraine Road and Lena Road that have been ongoing for years.
“Most of our bigger projects are done in phases,” Kruse said. “If you try to do a $100 million project in one fell swoop and bid that out, you have to put aside the $100 million. If you do it in four $25 million bites, you only have to put aside $25- to $50 million, depending on the segments being worked on.”
Work on Lorraine Road began in July 2018 and isn’t scheduled to be complete until October 2030. Kruse said the road is still actively being worked on, but there are segments that won’t be done “as substantially” as the rest.
The total anticipated cost to widen the 2.83-mile segment of Lorraine Road between 59th Avenue East and State Road 64 from two lanes to
ROAD BLOCKS
These East County projects were suggested for the FY2025-2029 Capital Improvement Plan by Public Works and presented to commissioners on June 18 as a part of the FY2025 recommended budget. However, in August, because of budget shortages, commissioners were presented with a suggested deferred projects list. If the budget is adopted as it stands on Sept. 17, six of the 10 roads projects will be impacted.
Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and Wood Fern Trail, intersection improvements: $911,266
($159,766 budgeted for FY2025) Deferred
Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and Portal Crossing, intersection improvements: $1,006,000 ($285,062 budgeted for FY2025) Deferred
Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and Gatewood Drive, intersection improvements: $911,266 ($159,766 budgeted for FY2025) Deferred
Lakewood Ranch Boulevard from State Road 70 to State Road 64, resurface inside lanes, sidewalk repairs and enhanced pedestrian striping: $13,765,550 As scheduled
Malachite Road at New Haven Boulevard-Central Park Boulevard, intersection improvements: $2,195,950 As scheduled
44th Avenue East and Wood Fern Trail, mast arm (to hang
four is approximately $66 million. Designs include a raised median, sidewalks in both directions and seven-foot buffered bike lanes.
Construction also includes drainage improvements, designating stormwater ponds, two bridge replacements, utility modifications and signalizing 59th Avenue East. Of the $66 million budget, $46,566,865 has been placed on the deferred list.
Information Outreach Manager Bill Logan denied the East County Observer’s request to interview Butzow for specifics on which items would be deferred and new expected completion dates. Logan said ques tions can’t be answered before the budget is adopted because every thing is still a proposal until then.
Both Turner and Kruse confirmed that connecting State Road 64 and State Road 70 by way of Lena Road is still hap pening.
They said while $23,395,435 million of the project is on the deferred list, that will not delay driv ers getting from Point A to Point B. “Lena was supposed to be, and eventually will be expanded and become
traffic light): $2,423,000 As scheduled
Rangeland Parkway and Post Boulevard, intersection improvements: $850,757 ($159,757 budgeted for FY2025) Deferred
Creekwood Boulevard from State Road 70 East to 44th Avenue East, pavement reconstruction, sidewalk repairs and enhanced pedestrian striping: $6,355,372 for the entire project, Deferred
Port Harbour Parkway from Kay Road to Golden Harbour Trail, pavement reconstruction, sidewalk repairs and enhanced pedestrian striping: $9,868,075, $1,444,067 Deferred from Kay Road intersection improvements State Road 64 from Lorraine Road to Verna Bethany Road, Project Development and Environmental Study required by Florida Department of Transportation to widen from two lanes to four: $2,883,650 As scheduled
more of a substantial thoroughfare, like a four-lane road with sidewalks and some trees,” Kruse said. “It was going to be more of a Lakewood Ranch Boulevard kind of thing. That’s what’s getting pulled back.” Kruse said the biggest missing piece within the physical connection was the roundabout at 44th Avenue, and that’s already funded through the 44th Avenue extension project.
Only one East County project was removed completely from the Capital Improvement Plan, instead of being deferred — an operational and safety improvement study for Uihlein Road.
More than $221 million worth of road improvements land on possible deferred projects list.
Improvements to Verna Bethany Road and Upper Manatee River Road also were put on the deferred list.
According to the project sheet, construction on Verna Bethany Road was set to begin in October and was estimated to cost $4,578,505. The project includes installing a roundabout at the intersection of State Road 70.
Upper Manatee River Road started construction in August. It, too, will face delays if the budget passes. Construction will continue on with the exception of two bridge replacements, one at Mill Creek and one at Gates Creek. The total cost is $4,440,000.
So why are all these projects on the verge of being deferred? Some residents and Kruse said it’s because the commissioners made a multimillion dollar mistake.
“The commissioners didn’t bring enough money in,” Savanna resident Louis Hendrickson said. “They had a chance to go above the 50% increase on impact fees, which was recommended (by Benesch, the firm that updated the impact fee study in 2023).”
There are different categories of impact fees that developers pay, but transportation impact fees ensure the roads can support the residential or commercial development being built.
The state allows a maximum increase of 50% of any impact fee over the course of four years, unless the county requests special circumstances. Several counties have done just that or are in the process of doing so.
During the commission meeting on Aug. 8, Kruse said all-Republican boards in Citrus, Charlotte and Lake counties opted for special circumstances.
Kruse estimates the lost revenue at over $500 million and said it’s not an amount that can be found anywhere else.
“That’s way more than anything we can get from Vern (Buchanan) or Tallahassee or gas taxes,” he said. “That was the biggest piece, and the rest of the board refused to collect those dollars. So, they effectively refused to build that infrastructure.”
Construction continues on Lena Road’s expansion at the end of its southern segment.
Lesley Dwyer
Shocked family and friends try to be ‘Gracie strong’
Bobby and Jillian Burnett live a daily nightmare as their 12-yearold daughter, Grace, remains in intensive care after a ruptured brain aneurysm.
Hurricane Debby was approaching Aug. 4 as Sapphire Point’s Grace Burnett and her siblings and cousins were getting restless. They wanted to hang out and have fun, so despite the drizzling rain, they went outside to play Pokemon Go around the neighborhood and when they returned, they decided to go into the pool. Grace, who is 12, was playing in
the pool with her 14-year-old sister, Olivia Burnett, and 14-year-old cousin, Abi Burnett, when her head started hurting. She exited the pool and asked her mother, Jillian Burnett, for a glass of water. The headache persisted. She started screaming due to the excruciating pain from her headache. Then, she was unconscious. What followed has been weeks in intensive care as each day comes with new unknowns caused by a ruptured brain aneurysm.
LIVING A NIGHTMARE
On the ambulance ride to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Grace was conscious enough to answer questions like “What day is it?” and “Where are you?” In the emergency room, though, the situation worsened. She was in and out of conscious-
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Courtesy images
Bobby Burnett (left) poses with Grace Burnett (next to him, front) during a
ness, shivering and barely able to talk.
While waiting for a CT scan, an emergency room doctor came in and realized Grace was having a seizure. They rushed her to get a CT, and the picture became clear.
The CT scan showed Grace had a brain aneurysm that ruptured. She needed to be flown to Tampa General Hospital, but Hurricane Debby made it unsafe for a helicopter to be put in the air.
The doctors at Sarasota Memorial Hospital put in an external ventricular drain to help drain fluid from her brain as she was put in an ambulance and driven to Tampa General.
Since then, Bobby said the family has been in “a nightmare that’s going 100 miles an hour that seems to be getting worse and worse.”
“For the next three or four days straight, every day was life or death,” Bobby said. “Every day, we would learn a new reality about her life, about what she’s experienced and about how critical this is.”
For weeks, doctors have been working to manage the swelling in her brain, including a craniotomy and putting Grace in an induced coma. She’s had multiple strokes.
Bobby said they celebrate the small wins when they can, such as when doctors removed the breathing tube that was starting to create other issues with her lungs and tongue.
Grace remains in the Tampa General intensive care unit, and a team of neurologists are debating whether to put a shunt in Grace to help drain the fluid in her brain, but it could cause lifelong challenges.
“We’re waking up every day trying to be somewhat positive and trying to wrap our minds around what is going on,” Bobby said.
A LOVING AND CARING CHILD
In the days leading up to the incident, Bobby said his family was doing tourist activities in Manatee County with his brother, Josh, and his family, who were visiting from Nicaragua.
Jillian said Grace was thrilled to welcome the family and made her signature brownies with her 2-yearold brother, Bradley. Jillian said whenever someone came to visit or when Bobby came home from a business trip, she always made brownies.
They went to Anna Maria Island
and went into the gulf. Grace, who Jillian said is adventurous and fearless, couldn’t wait to get onto the inflatable in the water that after jumping on one side, it would launch her high into the air before she landed in the water with a splash.
The days were filled with happy memories and Grace being the one to make people smile and laugh.
Bobby said his daughter is the epitome of being an outgoing, loving and caring child. She’s a performer and hilarious, he said.
“She loves to bring people together and will do anything to make people happy,” he said. “She had so much going for her, and then all of a sudden, she got smacked in the face with this horrible thing that should never happen.”
Jillian and Bobby said it’s heartbreaking to see their once joyful, bubbly daughter lying in a hospital bed fighting for her life.
They hope to spread awareness about aneurysms and how people with a family history of aneurysms should have a Magnetic Resonance Angiography, which is a type of MRI scan that can help detect aneurysms.
The couple said it’s likely Grace was born with the aneurysm.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, although brain aneurysms can affect
anyone at any age, they are most likely to affect people between the ages of 30 and 60. In the U.S., up to 6% of people have an aneurysm in their brain that isn’t bleeding, and approximately 30,000 people in the U.S. have a ruptured brain aneurysm each year.
Because of Grace, Jillian and Bobby learned about magnetic resonance angiograms, which can detect brain aneurysms.
Jillian said MRAs should be part of preventive care and covered under insurance. She recommends anyone with a history of brain aneurysms in the family have an MRA completed because ruptures can come out of nowhere. Unruptured aneurysms can be treated.
Bobby said Grace never had headaches and was a healthy child. They never knew she had an aneurysm until it showed up on the CT scan.
Doctors check on Grace every 12 hours to conduct neurological exams.
Bobby has had to return to work, but Jillian is taking leave from work to stay with Grace in Tampa.
Jillian said the couple has had to learn 10 years of medical knowledge in weeks so they can understand what is happening to their daughter and be more informed when hav-
ing to make potential life-or-death decisions for care.
They are waiting for Grace to wake up to determine her neurological health.
Jillian said this has been a test of strength. At times, she said, she feels weak, but she always remembers she needs to be strong for Grace.
“We’re her only advocate,” Jillian said.
OVERWHELMING SUPPORT
As more people have learned about Grace, Bobby and Jillian said they’ve received an outpouring of love from family, friends, neighbors and more.
They welcome thoughts and prayers as Grace makes progress.
“I know how much Grace makes an impact on people, but I never knew to this magnitude,” Jillian said.
When Sapphire Point’s Carolyn Tovell and her daughter Sheridan Tovell, who is best friends with Grace, heard what the Burnett family was going through, they felt helpless. Sheridan wanted to find a way to support her best friend and her family.
Tovell asked people in the community to create posters with words of affirmations to decorate Grace’s hospital room. She said she collected 30 to 40 signs and letters.
WHAT IS A BRAIN ANEURYSM?
A brain aneurysm is a bulge in a weak area of an artery in or around the brain, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Most brain aneurysms form in the major arteries along the base of the skull, but they can occur anywhere in the brain.
A majority of brain aneurysms don’t cause symptoms, but one symptom is a headache.
If an aneurysm leaks or ruptures, it causes bleeding in the brain, which can be lifethreatening.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, although brain aneurysms can affect anyone at any age, they are most likely to affect people between the ages of 30 and 60. In the U.S., up to 6% of people have an aneurysm in their brain that isn’t bleeding, and approximately 30,000 people in the U.S. have a ruptured brain aneurysm each year.
But they wanted to do more, and so did others.
Sheridan and her sister, Charley, along with Olivia Burnett, Abi Burnett and friends Mila Casey, Mia Apodaca, came together to make bracelets saying “Gracie strong” and plan a lemonade stand.
On Aug. 24, the girls opened their lemonade stand for two hours, selling lemonade, cookies, brownies and more. The girls’ mothers, Tovell, Natalie Apodaca and Angela Casey, had pink (Grace’s favorite color) shirts and hats printed saying “#Graciestrong” with hibiscus, Grace’s favorite flower.
The group raised more than $5,000.
“It was a really awesome day to see so many people come together for Grace,” Carolyn said. “We want Grace back (home).”
The money raised will go toward a welcome home party and gifts for Grace when she’s finally able to come home.
Sapphire Point community members and friends of Grace Burnett, along with her siblings, come together for a lemonade stand to raise money for Grace.
Input sought on Comprehensive Plan
Manatee County held a series of public meetings to gather input on the Comprehensive Plan, but it’s not too late for citizens to offer their opinions.
LESLEY DWYER STAFF WRITER
hen Savanna resident Louis Hendrickson drives down White Eagle Boulevard, he said there’s one thing missing — enough crosswalks.
Hendrickson’s future vision for Manatee County includes safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists, so he attended a public meeting on Aug. 29 at the Lakewood Ranch Library.
During a series of three workshops, citizens were invited to share their thoughts on the county’s Comprehensive Plan.
The Comprehensive Plan guides the county’s development over the next 10 to 20 years and is currently being reviewed and updated by the engineering firm Kimley-Horn.
The other two sessions were held at the Braden River Library and the Palmetto Library. Lakewood Ranch had the largest turnout with about 75 citizens in attendance.
When asked to weigh in a year ago, citizens targeted four major issues they wanted addressed — transportation, affordable housing, land use and environmental conservation.
At the session in Lakewood Ranch, residents brought up additional concerns such as stormwater management and a lack of services for senior citizens and individuals with disabilities.
“(The county) is doing an inadequate job now,” Myakka resident David Dean said of the flooding during and since Hurricane Debby. “In 20 years from now, when you have more rainfall per year and per storm, (taxpayers) are going to pay for that.”
ON AND OFF TOPIC
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
Kimley-Horn Project Manager Kelley Klepper described the Comprehensive Plan as a community’s vision that guides development over a 10- 20year period.
Residents don’t have to attend a workshop to have their ideas considered.
Email CompPlanning@ MyManatee.org. Klepper said he reads the emails, and they’re also forwarded to the commissioners.
ment Code work in practice and in coordination.
“The Comp Plan sets the rule,” she said, “But we update the LDC and our Public Works standards as we need to. We don’t have to wait for a Comp Plan update to do that. When the state and FEMA change regulations for rainfall events, we also change.”
Residents brought up an array of issues during the meeting, but not all fell under the topic of the Comprehensive Plan.
Dean’s major concern is that the county doesn’t hold developers to a high enough stormwater management standard.
“Downtown Bradenton still floods,” he said. “The people who built it are gone, and 50 years later, those poor people are still flooding out.”
Denise Greer, deputy director of Development Services for Manatee County, explained how the Comprehensive Plan and the Land Develop-
A big concern for several residents was an application submitted by Home Depot to build a store on Lorraine Road and Rangeland Parkway. Other residents living in Eagle Trace were worried about a proposal for an apartment complex that’s further along in the process and about to go before commissioners.
Kelley Klepper, project manager for Kimley-Horn, said those are sitespecific concerns. He also prefaced some of his answers with “You’re not going to like this” or “This is going to be another unpopular response.”
One of those responses was when he equated government years to dog years. He said the average timespan for a big project to get through planning, design, permitting and construction is five to seven years. Klepper’s point was that a big
an old fur
Bradenton resident Pat Simmons asks that any plan is inclusive of seniors, and those with disabilities.
project under construction today has nothing to do with the Comprehensive Plan updates taking place today. Those approvals were based on what was already established in the Comprehensive Plan 10-plus years ago.
Bradenton resident Pat Simmons was on topic when she gave an impassioned speech that implored her fellow citizens not to accept a modified plan that isn’t inclusive of all citizens.
“It says nothing about what they’re going to do for seniors, for disabled veterans and for people with disabilities,” Simmons said. “Yet there are pickleball courts all over this stupid county.” Simmons received a round of applause, but in addition to stirring the crowd, she spoke directly to the Comprehensive Plan update because she shared a vision for Manatee County’s future.
After Klepper and Greer’s presentation and a brief Q&A, residents were invited to fill out comment cards and speak directly with staff. Hendrickson stayed behind to share his thoughts with Manatee County Transportation Planning Manager Nelson Galeano.
“It doesn’t cost that much money to run a sidewalk or put down some paint for a crosswalk,” Hendrickson said. “Somebody has to care.”
Planners also have to anticipate.
“As we’re going through this, we’re looking at what we anticipate the
population needs over the next 20 years,” Klepper said.
He used roads as an example of what kinds of questions are asked during the review process. Are there roads in the right places? Are the roads sized to accommodate growth? What is the funding mechanism in place?
A year ago, during the first round of workshops, the goal was to rollout the plan by this summer and adopt the plan by December.
However, the commission’s makeup changed following the primary election on Aug. 20. New commissioners are on the way with different thoughts about the future.
“We’re not trying to rush and do anything right now,” Klepper said.
“We’re working with the current county commission, and when the new county commission comes on board, we’re going to do the same thing. We’re going to present to them and listen to their concerns.”
Greer estimated the next round of workshops would be held in February.
One issue that is not included in conversations about the Comprehensive Plan update is the size of wetland buffers.
Klepper made it clear early in the presentation that lessening wetland buffers was a decision made by the current commission before KimleyHorn was asked to review and revise the plan.
Savanna resident Louis Hendrickson speaks with Transportation Planning Manager Nelson Galeano about the need for more sidewalks and crosswalks.
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Photos by Lesley Dwyer
We’re all ears
Elephants living on the ranch are retired from the entertainment industry.
LESLEY DWYER | STAFF WRITER
Growing up with elephants, Lou Barreda said he wanted a dog.
The CEO and founder of the Myakka Elephant Ranch doesn’t prefer dogs. That’s simply how normal it is for him to be around elephants.
His parents, Jorge and Louann Barreda, brought home an elephant named Lou years before they brought home their own Lou in 1992. They owned a business, first in Oklahoma and later in Florida, that rented elephants to birthday parties, weddings, documentaries, theme parks, state fairs, circuses and zoos.
Lou, the elephant, died at 40 in August 2023 in Myakka from a heart attack. On average, Asian elephants can live to almost 50, while African elephants can live to 70. Lou was born in Zimbabwe, after being orphaned by ivory poachers.
The difference between having an elephant instead of a dog is that long lifespan. And not only does an elephant eat more, it requires more care than a dog, too.
“You’re just constantly with them all day, so you build a special bond,” Barreda said. “Their intelligence is amazing, and their personalities are all so unique. You get attached to each one.”
The elephants get attached to people, too, so outside of volunteers, the staff is either made up of paid employees or family members.
Barreda’s sister, Julia Braren, serves as chief operating officer of Myakka Elephant Ranch. Louann Barreda serves as vice president, and Jorge Barreda was front and center representing the nonprofit during the Spa Enrichment experience Aug. 30, making sure visitors got a chance to brush and hose off each elephant.
Lou Barreda, a marketing major, formed the nonprofit in 2019. Instead of looking to volunteers to help care for the animals on Aug. 30, he offered the opportunity to visitors. Three out of the four experience packages put paying visitors to work. They can help feed, bathe or examine the elephants. Hands-on experiences are priced between $130 to $199 for adults and start at $79 for children.
The elephants that end up on the ranch are retired from the entertainment industry, so it’s their time to rest. Due to conservation efforts, fewer elephants need a retirement home these days, so the Barredas
ABOUT THE NONPROFIT
Myakka Elephant Ranch 1767 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., #270 Visit MyakkaElephantRanch. org. Mission statement: From tusk to tail, African to Asian, elephant conservation is the primary purpose. Intimate elephant encounters, guided by professional caregivers, that will enlighten, educate and provide for an unforgettable experience, are offered.
ELEPHANT FACTS
■ African and Asian elephants can be distinguished by their ears because they’re shaped like their respective countries.
■ Elephants eat about 250 pounds of food per day.
■ A newborn elephant calf weighs over 200 pounds.
■ Elephant pregnancies last between 18 to 22 months.
■ A male African savannah elephant is the heaviest on record, weighing nearly 24,000 pounds.
receive daily baths.
After the pedicure, Susie went outside to finish the spa treatment by rubbing her sides against the closest tree. Barreda said that’s how elephants exfoliate.
The ranch sits on 30 acres and can host up to 10 elephants. Only three live at the compound now. Susie is joined by Baba, an African elephant, and Patty, an Asian elephant. The elephant amenities include weatherprotected stalls, fenced-in outdoor habitats, a watering hole, two-acre pond, a medical stall and quarantine area.
The nonprofit not only looks after elephants under its care, it looks after all elephants.
“Almost a hundred a day go down from poaching ,” Barreda said. “We’re raising money to combat that.”
The nonprofit also gives back to other local nonprofits; 10% of proceeds from experiences benefit the ranch’s local community partners.
Elephant therapy is offered to veterans through Operation Warrior Resolution. And organizations, such as the Loveland Center, The Haven and Manatee Children’s Services, are invited to the ranch free of charge because education is at the heart of the ranch’s mission.
have limited access to additions.
On Aug. 20, Susie, an African elephant, nodded in and out as she was hosed down and massaged with long-handled scrub brushes by the visitors. She was so relaxed, her eyelids seemed to be the heaviest feature of her 7,845-pound body.
That was until Susie saw the bucket of mineral oil come out. When it was time for a pedicure, her eyelashes batted straight up. She immediately lifted one foot onto the foot rest.
Two little girls were chosen from the audience to paint the elephant’s toenails — Winter Park’s 3-year-old Mia Krauser and Sarasota’s 5-yearold Alona Hymel. Paint brush in hand, Hymel took great care to paint the mineral oil within the lines of each nail.
The mineral oil helps to prevent the nails from getting dry and then cracking. Elephants have sensitive skin, too. Jorge Barreda told the crowd that an elephant can feel a mosquito land. They often throw hay on themselves to shoo them away.
Their skin is so sensitive that the United States Department of Agriculture requires that the elephants
During the educational encounter, guests are informed that over 10 million elephants roamed wild in Africa in 1930. Only about 400,000 African elephants remain today.
Jasmine Lewis was so moved by the experience, she walked away from Patty in tears. She traveled from Virginia just to see the Myakka Elephant Ranch.
“I’ve always loved elephants, so I wanted to see them in real life,” Lewis said.
“You’re just constantly with them all day, so you build a special bond. Their intelligence is amazing, and their personalities are all so unique. You get attached to each one.”
Lou Barreda, CEO and founder of the
Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944
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Myakka Elephant Ranch
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
Fully immersed in the Spa Enrichment experience, Susie nods in and out.
Jorge Barreda steps back as Lakewood Ranch resident Chase Davis, 4, feeds Patty a carrot.
CEO Lou Barreda said the elephants enjoy the watering hole on warm days.
Hopefully, Manatee County is about to rain transparency
Whether it comes to road projects or an indoor facility, the residents need to be better informed.
The weather report for Sept. 6 remained somewhat sketchy.
If you live in the Lakewood Ranch area, and Music on Main is on your radar, that can be disconcerting.
Those late summer afternoon thundershowers can wipe out the most noble of plans.
So outdoor events can be hard to come by.
Does it have to be that way?
Thinking about Music on Main and a possible cancellation due to weather got me thinking — connecting the dots so to speak — about the lack of summer events in East County and possible solutions.
Before talking about solutions, I want to stress that SchroederManatee Ranch does a great job in providing us with the few summer events we do have. Music on Main attracts thousands of people when the event can survive the rain, and more specifically, the lightning.
As an aside before talking about solutions, please note that the Sept. 6 Music on Main benefits the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation, so please, please, please plan to attend and support the cause even if it means braving a bit of rain. Any threat of dangerous weather conditions — lightning — always cancels the event. But plan on attending unless you hear otherwise.
It would be easy for SMR to cancel all the summer Music on Mains. Doing so would avoid the aggravation of setting up the stage and everything needed for the event, only to see it canceled at the last moment. Thankfully, that is not the
case for SMR.
SMR also runs its Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch year round, which has been a success, even during the hottest months. In addition is the live music at Waterside Place, on Fridays and Saturdays, and movie nights. When it comes to events, SMR does more than its share.
OK, so back to how my mind works.
When I think of rain and the possible cancellation of Music on Main due to weather, I think of transparency, or lack of, in Manatee County providing indoor facilities as part of its growth.
Wouldn’t it be great to have an indoor facility in East County that would serve the community with a place for summer, as well as allseason, events?
Perhaps Manatee County is, indeed, working on such a facility for the future, but it would be nice if the county’s commissioners or planners would inform the resi-
dents about their plans.
As it is, we are kept in the dark.
Since the beginning of 2024, we have been teased with some county officials insisting that a future event center is on its way. Supposedly a nondisclosure agreement has been struck between a private company/companies to build an event center that our area so badly needs.
But does this have to be a secretive process?
The fear for me is that the planning process is well down the road before the residents learn about the project so we can offer our feedback. The county acts as our parents, serving up what is good for us.
When District 5 Commissioner Ray Turner ran for reelection to his office, he campaigned on the promise of pushing the county to be transparent in the future. He agreed the county fell short of keeping residents informed about important projects. I applauded such an effort. He was defeated by Republican
Robert McCann in the primary so
whether McCann or NPA Joseph Di Bartolomeo align themselves with the more transparency agenda remains to be seen. I hope so.
What could be more important than an indoor facility that could host summer events, concerts, athletic events, agricultural events, non-profit events and large gatherings?
Lakewood Ranch should be as ripe with events in August as it is in April.
But here we are, with little to no information about park amenities supposedly headed to Premier Park since land was purchased in 2018.
With a new makeup of the Manatee County Commission on the way, can’t we please treat the residents as partners in the planning process?
Premier Park is just one example about how the lack of transparency plagues our county. Consider the “deferred list” of road projects that the Manatee Commission will vote
upon Sept. 17. The suggested list came to the public’s attention in August, but more as a list than as consumable information. We learned that deferred projects would mean a slight delay, perhaps, in several important East County projects, and be more of an accounting adjustment than anything.
This would be a great time for county officials to talk about possible delays in simple to understand terms for the residents. Such a delay for a certain project would mean this exact delay, as opposed to the former date. It’s just nice to know.
Instead, we are told that none of the projects being considered for the deferred list can be talked about, by county officials, until commissioners approve the budget on Sept. 17. That, however, to me, seems to be the perfect time, before the budget is passed, to offer feedback. That’s before commissioners decide the projects’ fate.
Voters have discovered their power to make changes in the way Manatee County does business. Hopefully they push their elected officials to do a better job of keeping us informed. Whether it comes to road projects or an events center in East County, we would at least before informed, and be able to offer our opinions.
Courtesy image
This is the latest rendering that shows the aquatics and pickleball complex (top right), the library, a parking garage and a Sheriff’s Office substation at Premier Park. Could an events center be next?
Jay Heater is the managing editor for the East County Observer. Contact him at JHeater@ YourObserver.com.
Proposed parking garage
MCSO
Existing library
What to name the new K-8 school?
Manatee’s School Board is accepting nominations to name the new Lakewood Ranch K-8 school through Sept. 27.
Now is your chance to have a say.
The School Board of Manatee County is accepting name nominations for the K-8 school, which is scheduled to open in August 2025.
The school is being constructed on about 40 acres east of Uihlein Road and approximately a quarter-mile south of State Road 64.
The school, which is initially being built to house 1,620 students, is the first K-8 school the School District of Manatee County is constructing from the ground up.
Name nominations will be accepted through Sept. 27.
The school board will publish the list of name nominations on the district website on Oct. 1.
The board then will discuss the name nominations and select finalists at a school board meeting Oct. 8.
Public comment on name nominations will be welcomed at all school board meetings and workshops in September and October, according to a news release.
On Oct. 22, the school board is
scheduled to select the name of the new school.
All name nominations must abide by the district’s “Commemoration of School Facilities” policy.
The policy states commemorations “should be reserved only for those individuals who have made a significant contribution to the enhancement of education generally or the district in particular or to the wellbeing of the district, community, state or nation.”
According to the policy, if the name is related to its location in the community, the proposed name should be “descriptive and of reasonable length.”
If named for an individual, the proposal should be of “an outstanding civic or educational leader, living or deceased, of local, state or national prominence,” according to the policy. If the person is living and an elected official, the person must be out of public office for no less than five years.
School name submissions must include the name of the person submitting the nomination, an email address and/or phone number.
School nominations can be submitted by:
■ Emailing nominations to: Communications@ManateeSchools.net
■ Mailing nominations to: The School District of Manatee County, P.O. Box 9069, Bradenton, FL 34206-9069
■ Personally delivering nominations to: Miller School Supper Center, 215 Manatee Ave. W. in Bradenton
Courtesy rendering
The
INVEST IN THE
EYE ON BUSINESS
His business is telling stories
Mike O’Donnell uses AI to capture lasting memories through the Leaves Legacy Project.
JAY HEATER MANAGING EDITOR
If you ask Lakewood Ranch’s Mike O’Donnell, the greatest story every told is — your own.
He and longtime business partner Anthony Phills came to that conclusion years ago, following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when the Pass Christian, Mississippi, home of O’Donnell’s parents, Audrey and Larry O’Donnell, was wiped out, causing the loss of family movies, photo albums, records and personal memorabilia.
Seventy-nine years of his family’s heritage was destroyed in a moment.
Since O’Donnell had three kids of his own, he had been excited about passing that heritage along to them.
Audrey O’Donnell died in 2012, and Larry O’Donnell died in December.
Mike O’Donnell was able to piece back together about 70% of the lost memories, but he started to wonder how all the history could have been preserved digitally and crafted into a story. As he says, stories often die with the storyteller.
He had worked with Phills for years in the technology industry in Seattle, Washington, so they began to brainstorm about ways a company could collect all that personal information and not only document it, but craft it into a personal life story.
They formed the Leaves Legacy Project, but unfortunately, $250,000 into the experiment, they were faced with the same sticking point. They couldn’t get around the enormous cost of getting a writer to spend the time sifting through interviews, images and information, and then to write the story.
“We could digitalize all the stuff,
the family archives, but how would you attach stories to the artifacts? That was the big missing piece,” he said.
O’Donnell, a University of Florida graduate who grew up in Cocoa Beach, eventually came across an artificial intelligence engine that brought everything together. That led to the “Times of My Life” virtual biographer, which is now active and available to the public at Leaves.us.
“I was so discouraged after our 2011-2013 run,” said O’Donnell, who is the co-founder and CEO of Leaves Legacy Project. “AI moved it forward.”
“The first thing our technology does is to capture details, to ask questions, to amass data,” he said.
“AI can do it efficiently and quickly. It could be my wedding, the birth of my child, my defining moments, my bout with cancer. We created a virtual biographer.
“Your story is not one book. It is hundreds of little stories, the defining moments in life. There are many great, little stories.”
The “Times of My Life” virtual biographer collects information, and combines that information with artifacts, photos, records, to create those life stories.
“People keep movies, photos, birth certificates, and there are stories behind all of that,” O’Donnell said. “Unfortunately, those are often stored in boxes in the attic and the story never is written.”
The “Times of My Life” AI-powered engine helps people tell, share and preserve their life stories in a book format. The AI program is populated with 30,000 life topics.
“You are the storyteller,” O’Donnell said. “You take the details and put them into your story. You capture what happened, and the emotions, and what everyone was thinking.”
O’Donnell, who said he is a documentary junkie, said most people don’t even attempt writing their own life story because they simply are not good writers.
“And they can’t afford a ghost
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ABOUT THE CEO
Who: Mike O’Donnell
Age: 66
Wife: Patricia Notarianni
Lives: The Lake Club
Company: Leaves Legacy Project (owned with partner Anthony Phills of Los Angeles)
Product: A program to preserve and produce life stories that includes a virtual biographer
Website: Leaves.us
writer,” he said. “Some (writers) will charge $10,000 to write a life story.”
The next part of the project was to find a consumable format.
“Times of My Life” is surprisingly inexpensive. The first story is free, and after that it is a dollar to receive the story. It is $3.99 for podcast form and $4.99 in video form.
After the input of images and stories, O’Donnell’s technology takes 15 seconds to produce a 3,000-word story.
Clients can add to an overall life story chapter by chapter, or they can have stories about many different experiences and topics and keep them on their own. Or they could
create their own form of greeting cards to send to their family about important life events.
O’Donnell sees many of his future customers belonging to affinity groups, such as churches, schools, military units and communities’ nonprofits.
His virtual biographer can help jog a client’s memory by asking questions about an important event, such as a prom, a graduation, or a wedding, and by playing music in the background that actually was played at the event. Memories click in and it helps the person relive the memories.
O’Donnell said people will want to write about more than just big events in their lives. “People want to write about why they got their tattoo,” he said. “That might be a big event to them.”
A mentor and teacher at the University of Miami and Broward College, O’Donnell said the story telling process will consist of four main parts — capture details through interviews and flashbacks; writing the story based on words from the interview; quick insertion of photos and/or videos and other images; and producing the product into consumable media.
The Leaves Legacy Project also can pick a narrator’s voice for each person’s story.
Gulfside Bank has broken ground on a new location off Fruitville Road, east of I-75.
It’s hard to believe that just five short years ago, Gulfside Bank opened its doors to Sarasota’s business community for the first time. We’ve been growing to meet the financial needs of a vibrant, thriving community ever since.
Today, Gulfside can do anything the big banks can do, only faster, with local decision making and a true personal touch you won’t find anywhere else. And we’re just getting started. Come grow with Gulfside.
Jay Heater
Lakewood Ranch’s Mike O’Donnell has launched a virtual biographer that will help people preserve their life memories and defining moments.
PET PICS
Dr. Gregory C. Farino is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine physician. He earned his medical degree at Temple University Medical School in Philadelphia. He completed his orthopedic residency at Penn State University, followed by an orthopedic fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr.
Tennis Academy in Bradenton. Dr. Farino’s areas of special interest include:
• Hand and wrist arthritis • Hand and wrist fractures/dislocations • Tendon injuries and tendonitis (trigger fingers, De Quervains tendonitis) • Ganglion cysts/mucous cysts of the fingers/ benign hand tumors
• Carpal and cubital tunnel syndrome
• Dupuytren’s contracture
DESTINED TO BE PLAYFUL: Little Destin of Lakewood Ranch is feeling frisky.
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
Four Sarasota cultural groups strutted their stuff out of town in the off season.
Taking the show on the road
MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
When the temperatures rise in Sarasota, the snowbirds head home for the summer.
But this year, four local arts organizations also took wing and performed for out-oftown audiences in France, England, North Carolina and Massachusetts.
The summer road trips were a chance for Sarasota performers to strut their stuff and show the world just how lucky we are to have firstclass cultural institutions in our cozy beach town.
The four groups who took their shows on the road were:
n Sarasota Ballet, which performed in “Ashton Celebrated” at the Royal Opera House in London from June 4-9
n Choral Artists of Sarasota, which sang and marched in ceremonies honoring the 80th anniversary of D-Day in France on June 6-7
n Circus Arts Conservatory, which presented “Sommersaults in the Berkshires” from July 19-28 at the Duffin Theatre in Lenox, Massachusetts
n Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, which appeared at the International Black Theatre Festival for the sixth time, from July 29-Aug. 3 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
As anyone who has ever taken a big trip knows, lots of things can go wrong. Even with all the hightech tools at our disposal, plans can still go awry. The security detail of a president can unexpectedly close down a travel route, a hurricane can result in delayed airline flights and costumes can be damaged.
When you’re a touring arts organization, you have to make compromises about lighting, sets and personnel to keep costs manageable. You learn to travel light, bring your best people and rely on the expertise of locals who are familiar with the venue and audience preferences where you’ll be in the spotlight.
But Sarasota’s intrepid arts ambassadors were troupers (that’s what they call them in the theater) this summer. Some were even troopers, like the members of Choral Artists who marched alongside veterans and military personnel in honor of the U.S. invasion of Normandy to liberate France from the Nazis.
In addition to performers and staffers, Sarasota arts organizations brought along well-wishers and donors to accompany them on their summer adventures.
Those of us who had to hold down the fort at home can still take pride in their high-profile appearances. Read on to learn more about each cultural organization’s summer sojourn.
SARASOTA BALLET IS THE TOAST OF LONDON
The Bible tells the story of the prodigal son who is welcomed when he comes home to ask for forgiveness after squandering his inheritance.
Sarasota Ballet Director Iain Webb has multiplied his investment in the works of Sir Frederick Ashton, so his triumphant return to his native England doesn’t exactly fit the biblical story line.
What’s more, he returned to Covent Garden with his wife, Sarasota Ballet Assistant Director Margaret Barbieri, who also danced Ashton’s ballets during the couple’s days with the Royal Ballet.
What if Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden and returned to paradise with the fruits of their labors? That sounds more like it. And since we’re talking about Old Testament tales here, of course, judgment had to be handed down — and it was good.
With rare exceptions, the critics loved the Sarasota Ballet’s performances of such Ashton ballets as the ensemble-driven “Dante Sonata,” the showcase of choreographic satires “Facade,” the abstract “Sinfonietta,” the waltzing “Valses nobles et sentimentales” and Ashton’s selfparody “Varii Capricci.”
What’s more, these same critics sent Webb home with the British National Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much time to celebrate because the June 3 ceremony was the night before Sarasota Ballet’s debut at the Royal Opera House.
In an interview following his return to Sarasota after the London residency, Webb confessed his fears that the critics who had just feted him would turn around and torch his efforts to preserve the legacy of Ashton.
“Even though it was a great honor, there was the fact that we’ve been known for doing Sir Fred’s ballets — it’s what put the company on the map. But you’re basically taking his ballets, which are very special, back to his home theater,” Webb noted in
an July 3 interview.
“There’s long been a perception that the Royal can’t dance Balanchine and the Americans can’t dance Ashton. We were going up against that by bringing in rarely seen works with new dancers,” he adds.
It’s not just the leadership of Webb and Barbieri that have put Sarasota Ballet on the map. With the spread of YouTube and other streaming services, the ballet’s performances are being watched by people around the world, noted principal dancer Jennifer Hackbarth in a post-mortem of the London trip.
If the London reviews and robust ticket sales are any indication, the Sarasota Ballet is acquiring devoted fans on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
With the London trip behind him, Webb has his eye on returning to the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in the Massachusetts Berkshires. The company made its Jacob’s Pillow debut to great acclaim in August 2015, with a program featuring the world premiere of Graziano’s “In a State of Weightlessness.”
Sarasota Ballet was scheduled to
appear again in August 2020, but the pandemic terminated all those plans. But Webb is determined to return to the Berkshires in the years ahead.
CHORAL ARTISTS TAKES PART IN A MASS MUSICAL OPERATION
People who travel outside the United States for the first time are often surprised to discover that Americans don’t always receive a warm welcome, for a variety of reasons. That’s not the case in Sainte-MèreÉglise, the first town in France that U.S. troops liberated in 1944.
Members of Choral Artists of Sarasota and their entourage got to experience the love and gratitude the village has for Americans firsthand when they took part in ceremonies commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
“It was so incredible as people of all walks of life and ages ranging from the youngest child to the oldest person were cheering us as we marched,” says Joseph Holt, artistic director of Choral Artists. “They were so thankful for the Americans that freed them from the ravages of WWII and thankful for us as current Americans who made the trip back to this town to commemorate and celebrate the event.”
During their trip to Normandy, Choral Artists participated in a mass gathering of music ensembles at Brittany American Cemetery that also included several groups from Australia and New Zealand. As they performed a piece entitled “Blades of Grass and Pure White Stones,” members of the group could see hundreds of gravestones stretching into the distance as well as members of the audience.
“Many were in tears as we performed as this piece is a poignant recognition of those that lost their lives in the fight against tyranny and domination by an evil empire,” Holt said.
Sarasota’s Choral Artists march in a parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day in France.
Before traveling to the International Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe presented a sold-out preview of “Soul Crooners: Solid Gold Edition” in Sarasota.
Courtesy images SEE ROAD PAGE 16A
Sarasota Ballet Director Iain Webb and his wife, Assistant Director Margaret Barbieri, pose on stage during the ballet’s June residency at the Royal Opera in London.
One of the most moving parts of the trip for Holt was watching Ben Colvard visit the grave of his father, also named Ben Colvard, at the Normandy American Cemetery. Colvard had joined Choral Artists’ trip to France precisely for this opportunity.
Colvard was born in October 1944, several months after his father died in July 1944 participating in the massive invasion of Normandy by Allied troops.
Because the ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery was curtailed by a visit by President Joe Biden, it wasn’t clear whether Colvard would have the opportunity to find his father’s grave, Holt said. “A last-minute change in our schedule allowed us to visit the enormous cemetery — there are almost 10,000 buried there — and Ben was able to locate his father with help from cemetery staff,” he said.
“An aide took Colvard and his wife to the grave and gave him sand to rub over the gravestone so the name would stand out. When Colvard shared the story with Chorale Artists members later and showed them pictures and a video of the event, we all had tears in our eyes. This was likely the most memorable event of the entire trip,” Holt recalls.
The changing schedules of President Biden and French Presidential Emmanuel Macron created some challenges for Choral Artists’ travel plans. At the last minute, they had to cancel their participation in a largescale ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery. Instead, the tour company working with Choral Artists took them to Bayeux, where they were able to tour a museum dedicated to the invasion.
While they were at the museum, French soldiers and police stationed in the entrance openly speculated about the possibility of President Macron’s imminent arrival. “As it turned out, President Macron altered his plans and we were able to continue without interruption,” Holt said.
Some other groups scheduled to take part in the ceremonies had already arrived at Normandy and were stranded on their buses for hours due to President Biden’s visit.
“We were the lucky ones,” said Holt.
He is no stranger to military operations and political maneuverings, having spent more than two decades as principal pianist with the United States Army Chorus in Washington, D.C., performing for presidents and generals from around the world.
HEAD OVER HEELS FOR ‘SOMMERSAULTS IN THE BERKSHIRES’
Yes, its performers use high wires and trapezes, but are the circus arts as “elevated” as the orchestra or the ballet? In the town that John Ringling made the winter home of his circus, few would disagree that the circus arts can hold their own against classical performing arts.
But what about in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, home to Tanglewood, the summer residence of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and the live theater company Shakespeare & Company?
How would the circus arts be viewed there? This summer, Pedro Reis and Dolly Jacobs, founders of Sarasota’s Circus Arts Conservatory, found out for themselves. Thanks to the efforts of Robin Eldridge, a former producer at Shakespeare & Company, the CAC held its first-ever summer residency in the Berkshires.
From July 19-28, the group of international artists performed 18 shows at the Duffin Theater in Lenox, Massachusetts. “The Berk-
shires is a family destination,” said Reis in a telephone interview following his return to Sarasota. “We took an ensemble from last season, with the exception of one act, and the model of a one-hour show to Massachusetts.”
Reis says the CAC’s residency, called “Sommersaults in the Berkshires,” didn’t fill all 500 seats in the Duffin for its shows, but he still considers it a great success. “The audience went crazy for the show,” he says. “They loved it. At least 90% of the audience was three generations.”
He said the performers — master of ceremonies Heidi Herriott, clowns Dick Monday and Slappy, crystal balance act Serge Sergeev and Aurika Annaeva, speed juggler Tersit Asefa Dersu and Garrett Allen on aerial rope —stayed at the Whistler’s Inn bed and breakfast in Lenox. “It was great sharing breakfast and hanging out in the living room,” Reis says.
One of the high points of the trip for Reis was meeting Chris Noth (best known as Mr. Big in “Sex and the City”) and having the actor attend the circus with his family.
On July 11, Eldridge organized a panel discussion on how the performing arts shape our culture. Moderated by Williams College President Maud S. Mandel, the panel featured Reis and leaders from Shakespeare & Company, Tanglewood Music Center, Jacob’s Pillow, the art museum
Performers in the Circus Arts Conservatory show “Sommersaults in the Berkshires” take their bows at the end of the performance.
MASS MoCA and Berkshire Theatre Group.
“Some of the institutions represented on the panel haven’t recovered as well as others from the disruptions of Covid,” Reis says. “We’ve been fortunate in Sarasota.”
WBTT DOES A CHA-CHA WITH HURRICANE DEBBY
In his 11 years attending the International Black Theatre festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe founder and Artistic Director Nate Jacobs has gone from being a rising star to an elder statesmen.
Asked how WBTT’s peer organizations at the festival are faring postpandemic, Jacobs replied, “We’re one of a kind. We don’t have any peers. People at the festival call us the miracle theater.”
What’s the reason for the nickname? “Because I am based in a predominately white community that supports a Black theater. Folks ask me, ‘How are you doing that?’”
There are lots of reasons: Jacobs’ dedication and eye for talent, WBTT’s executive director, Julie Leach, and the generosity of Sarasota’s arts patrons.
WBTT brought two of its own shows to the festival — the original musical “Soul Crooners: Solid Gold Edition” and the one-act play “Float Like a Butterfly” based on the life of “The Greatest of All Time” heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali. It also collaborated on a third, the one-act play, “From Birmingham to Broadway,” which was written by and starred Tarra Conner Jones. Presented in tandem with “Float,” a tribute to Broadway and TV performer Nell Carter, it was directed by Jacobs.
Jacobs said he would like to bring “Ruby,” WBTT’s first homegrown musical production that premiered in the 2023-24 season, to the Winston-Salem festival, but that it isn’t yet feasible because of economics.
The IBTT pays its presenting companies a flat fee for their shows and a large, elaborate production such as “Ruby” is too costly to take to the festival, he says.
In an telephone interview following the festival, Jacobs himself was still floating. “The whole city shuts down, just like the Olympics. You have buses taking people all over the city. We were one of the highlights of the show,” he said.
The tough part was getting home to Sarasota as Tropical Storm Debby approached and strengthened into a hurricane. Jacobs escaped unscathed because he was headed north to New York City for meetings.
The rest of the entourage made it from Winston-Salem to Atlanta before the storm. After their flights were repeatedly canceled, Leach made the decision to rent vans and have the WBTT team drive to Sarasota. By the time they got home, the worst of Hurricane Debby’s wrath had passed.
With their help, WBTT was able to attend what Jacobs calls “the powwow of the Black theater world” for the sixth time (it’s a biannual festival) and present three shows out of the 50 that were showcased in Winston-Salem.
Remembering a scientist who nurtured Sarasota’s arts
Ernie Kretzmer died on Aug. 24, four months shy of his 100th birthday.
MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
If you’ve ever attended a performance of the orchestra, ballet, theater or a chamber music concert in Sarasota, no doubt you’ve heard the name Ernie Kretzmer.
The longtime Sarasota resident, who died Aug. 24 at the age of 99, was a generous donor to Sarasota’s arts organizations, both in his own name and in honor of his late second wife, Alisa Kretzmer.
An open house at Kretzmer’s Lido Key home on Aug. 27-28 hosted by his family drew a wide array of luminaries from Sarasota’s arts and charitable organizations.
Daniel Jordan, concert master for Sarasota Orchestra, stopped by on the afternoon of Aug. 28, having just arrived from New Mexico, where he was performing with the Santa Fe Opera.
Jordan recalled Kretzmer’s love of music and his generosity, noting that the first violin that he played upon joining the Sarasota Orches-
tra in 1998 was purchased by the retired scientist and inventor. At the time, the orchestra was known as the Florida West Coast Symphony.
Also on hand to pay her respects to Kretzmer’s son, Peter Kretzmer, was Marcy Miller, executive director of Artist Series Concerts, one of the many cultural organizations that Ernie Kretzmer supported.
Miller’s relationship with Kretzmer was relatively new, since she only joined Artist Series Concerts in 2019, after spending six years at the William King Museum of Art in Virginia.
Like others paying tribute to Kretzmer on Lido Key, Miller remembered the philanthropist as a man of great joy and generosity.
According to a eulogy by Peter Kretzmer, his father was born Dec. 24, 1924, in Germany and was fortunate to escape the Nazi persecution with the help of his sister, Laurie.
The Kretzmer family first moved to the Isle of Man in England.
In his eulogy, Peter Kretzmer noted his father spoke English “like a royal” and sprinkled his conversation with such Shakespearean aphorisms as “To thine own self be true,” wisdom that he passed along to his son and daughter, Wendy. (The siblings were not named for the characters in the children’s book “Peter Pan,” Peter told guests.)
From a young age, Ernie Kretzmer
had a love of music. He also liked to take things like radios apart and tinker with them. This mechanical aptitude served him well in his education, first at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, where he attended college, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned his Ph.D.
CHARTING HIS OWN COURSE
In an interview, Peter Kretzmer said his father discovered Sarasota while on a business trip to Miami during his 35-year career at Bell Laboratories, the research arm of AT&T.
“Initially, my dad wasn’t big on Florida because he said everyone retired there. He wasn’t a follower,” he said. “But then he discovered Sarasota after seeing a reference in Time magazine to the town as a cultural pearl.”
Ernie Kretzmer was first a snowbird, buying a time-share property and later a condo on Benjamin Franklin Drive on Lido Key. In 1989, he moved to Sarasota full time after retiring. He built a home on Polk Drive with his second wife, Alisa, whom he married in 1983.
Kretzmer’s first wife, Suzanne, died in 1981 at age 54 after several bouts of cancer. Her family members perished in Hitler’s concentration camps and she was never able to recover from the trauma, her son said.
In a fortuitous twist of fate, Peter Kretzmer was later able to buy the condo his father first owned after it came up for sale many years later, just when Peter was moving to Sarasota in 2018. “It really feels like home to me,” he says.
When Peter Kretzmer was growing up, he remembered his father being frugal and calculating tips with exactitude. He credits his late stepmother with encouraging his father to expand from being a music aficionado to becoming a full-fledged patron of the arts.
Recent arrivals to Sarasota will know that Ernie Kretzmer’s later life
was enriched by his wife’s caretaker, Dorathea Sandland, a registered nurse who became his companion after Alisa’s death.
“Dorathea watched my dad slowly age while still enjoying life here and attending events galore,”
Peter Kretzmer told mourners at his father’s funeral. “They became a pair on the social scene, and Dorathea helped my dad through heart surgery, walking difficulties necessitating a new hip and the other inconveniences of aging. Through it all, Dad never complained, always intent on enjoying and taking advantage of the cultural life around him while he could.”
It would take more than a page in a newspaper to enumerate all the important financial contributions Kretzmer made to Sarasota’s arts and charitable organizations. He once told a reporter that he supported more than 60 different groups. His favorites were Sarasota Orchestra, Sarasota Opera, Sarasota Ballet and Florida Studio Theatre. In 2015, he donated $500,000 to FST to build housing for its artists.
Sarasota philanthropist Ernie Kretzmer, a generous supporter of the city’s artistic institutions, died Aug. 24 at age 99.
Courtesy images
Peter Kretzmer, his father, Ernie Kretzmer and, Ernie’s companion, Dorathea Sandland, enjoy a black-tie event.
THIS WEEK
will take home a prize of $3,200.
FESTIVAL
2 p.m. Lia Romeo’s “A Nice Motherly Person;” 5 p.m. Baylee Schlichtman’s “In the Mouth of the Beast;” 8 p.m. Sarah Elizabeth Grace’s “I’m Saving You a Seat.” Urbanite Theatre, 1487 Second St. Festival pass $45-$57
Visit UrbaniteTheatre.com.
This is the fifth annual installment of Urbanite Theatre’s Modern Works Festival featuring the new works of emerging female playwrights. At the end, panelists, attendees and guest adjudicators will vote for their favorite new work, and the winner
DON’T MISS
Award-winning playwright Lauren Gunderson is the keynote speaker. Runs through Sept. 8.
‘THE FOUR C NOTES’
8 p.m. at FST’s Goldstein Cabaret, 1239 N. Palm Ave. $18-$42
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
For fans of Frank Valli and the Four Seasons, the doo-wop sound never goes out of style. With “The Four C Notes,” Florida Studio Theatre continues the tradition of presenting Four Seasons tribute shows inspired by “Jersey Boys” and starring performers from the Broadway smash
‘THE FLORIDA HIGHWAYMEN: INTERSTATE CONNECTIONS’
As the title of Selby Gardens’ latest exhibition, “The Florida Highwaymen: Interstate Connections,” indicates, the show links the pioneering artistic work done on Florida’s East Coast with simultaneous efforts to desegregate Lido Beach in Sarasota. Runs through Sept. 15.
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
Where: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St.
Tickets: $28
Info: Visit Selby.org.
hit’s touring production. Runs through Oct. 13.
FRIDAY
NEW EXHIBITIONS:
PRECIOUS DARLING, TANNER SIMON AND BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF MANATEE COUNTY
10 a.m. at Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota Free Visit ArtCenterSarasota.org.
Art Center Sarasota’s latest round of exhibitions features artists Precious Darling, Tanner Simon and teens from the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County. Darling’s “How He Sees Me” uses black-and-white photography and sculpture to focus on how women are viewed, while Simon’s “Big Soup, Big Responsibility” explores the intersection of humor and gravity with large-scale paintings. Runs through Sept. 28.
‘THE MOUSETRAP’
7:30 p.m. at the Pinkerton Theatre, 140 Tampa Ave. W., Venice $35 Visit VeniceTheatre.org.
Scott Keys directs the Venice Theatre’s production of Agatha Christie’s murder mystery, which has been playing in London’s West End since November 1952. Runs through Sept. 15.
SATURDAY
‘SKYWAY’ ART EXHIBITION
10 a.m. at The Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bayshore Road, and the Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail
$30 at The Ringling (free Mondays); $15 at Sarasota Art Museum Visit SkywayTampaBay.com.
The triennial contemporary Florida art exhibition “Skyway” encompasses five museums in the Tampa Bay area. Even if you don’t have time to visit all five, check out The Ringling Museum of Art and the Sarasota Art Museum. Runs through Jan. 25 at The Ringling and Oct. 27 at SAM.
MONDAY
BALLET AND THEATER COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE
10 a.m. at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail Free Visit AsoloRep.org.
The three arts companies housed in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts — Sarasota Ballet, Asolo Repertory Theatre and FSU/Asolo Conservatory — show what they have to offer. The schedule includes a “Meet the Leadership” panel with Asolo Rep Producing Artistic Director Peter Rothstein, Sarasota Ballet Director Iain Webb and Interim Con-
OUR PICK
COMEDY LOTTERY
Everyone’s a winner in this FST Improv show where audience members select the night’s lineup of games replete with scenes, sketches and songs designed to provoke laughter. Runs Saturdays through Sept. 28.
IF YOU GO
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: FST’s Bowne’s Lab, 1265 First St.
Tickets: $15-$18
Info: Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.
servatory Director Marcus Denard Johnson and presentations throughout the day. Food will be available for purchase from Empanada Girl food truck.
TUESDAY
DECADES REWIND: ‘ALL THAT MUSIC’ 2 and 7 p.m. at Manatee Performing Arts Center $32-$40 Visit ManateePerforming-ArtsCenter.com.
Jukebox Revolution’s live eightpiece band follows the history of the golden years of rock ’n’ roll — the ’60s ’70s and ’80s.
A Mark Twain enthusiast tackles an age-old story
Alan Kitty brings his play ‘Original Sin’ to Tree Fort Productions.
MONICA ROMAN GAGNIER
The ghost of Mark Twain has haunted Alan Kitty nearly his entire life.
Like many a child, he read “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and dreamed of running away from home and living the way Tom did. Only the river that Kitty planned to navigate by raft wasn’t the Mississippi in Missouri, but the Susquehanna in central Pennsylvania. He even packed some of his belongings in a knapsack. But like most young boys on the Twain Trail, he was back home by dinner.
Unlike many young rascals, Kitty didn’t outgrow his fascination with Twain and his colorful cast of characters. Instead, the actor/playwright has made a career impersonating the author of such classics as “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.”
Since 1979, Kitty has portrayed Twain, whose real name was Samuel Clemens, more than 1,000 times — both on stage and film and at corporate events — all over the country.
In an eerie coincidence, Kitty has also lived around the corner from where Twain once resided. “I lived in New York for more than 12 years, and I found out after the fact that every neighborhood I moved into, Mark Twain also happened to have lived there,” he says.
After pausing for dramatic effect (Kitty is nothing but dramatic, even in real life), he adds, “which freaked me out not a little bit.”
One day not long after Kitty moved to New York City, around the corner from Washington Square, he noticed a plaque at 21 Fifth Ave. stating that Samuel Clemens lived there from 1904-08. “This discovery was incredible to me because I had just
IF YOU GO
‘ORIGINAL SIN’
When: 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 6-8 and Sept. 13-15
Where: Tree Fort Productions, The Crossings at Siesta Key mall, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 136
Tickets: $40
Info: Visit MarkTwainEducation.org or call 813-543-6613.
started performing as Twain,” Kitty says.
That wasn’t the first time Kitty found himself walking in the footsteps of Twain. When Kitty was starting out professionally, he went into the printing business, which was — you guessed it — Twain’s first line of work.
Scientists actually have a name for Kitty’s Twain experience. It’s called “frequency illusion,” where something you recently learned about or has become important to you seems to be around every corner.
Kitty’s not likely to find one of Twain’s former residences in Sarasota. But he’s still mining the works of the All-American raconteur for his creative endeavors. Most recently, Kitty starred in “Mark Twain: They Told Me to Be Brief,” at The Sarasota Players in February 2023.
Helping encourage his creativity since he arrived in Sarasota 11 years ago is a group called the Sarasota Area Playwrights Society. SAPS, as it is known for short, was founded in 2007 by George Loukides and has since grown from a small group of actors and playwrights to more than 70 members.
Kitty’s latest effort, a play called
“Original Sin,” is based on Twain’s works, “The Diaries of Adam & Eve,” a series of monologues he wrote between 1904-06. The work was Twain’s tribute to his wife, Olivia, who died in 1904.
“Original Sin” follows Adam and Eve as they discover life and each other. Kitty plays Adam, and Jill Schroeder stars as Eve in a produc-
tion being produced by the Mark Twain Society and directed by Alan Brasington.
Following a recent rehearsal of “Original Sin” in the playwright’s Sarasota home, Kitty and his team sat down for a conversation about their upcoming production. It will run at Katherine Michelle Tanner’s Tree Fort Productions in The Crossings at Siesta Key mall Sept. 6-8 and Sept. 13-15.
Asked why older actors were playing Adam and Eve, who were newly created by God and presumably should be in the bloom of youth, Kit-
Since 1979, Kitty has portrayed Twain, whose real name was Samuel Clemens, more than 1,000 times — both on stage and film and at corporate events — all over the country.
ty replies, “In the Bible, it says Adam lived to be 900 years old.”
Then Kitty, who is in his 70s, has a little time left before he hits the age mark for Adam.
In the tradition of “great minds think alike,” it turns out another adaptation of Twain’s “The Diaries of Adam & Eve” was simultaneously developed on the West Coast. It was written by Ed Weinberger, a TV sitcom writer best known for hit shows like “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Taxi.”
The “Journals of Adam and Eve” played at The Barry Marshall Theatre in Burbank in January. In Weinberger’s version of the Garden of Eden tale, Adam is 93 years old and was played by Hal Linden. Eve, whose age isn’t disclosed, was portrayed by Sally Struthers. (Maybe Eve was the first woman who declined to reveal her age.)
In Kitty’s production, the playwright and lead actor explains that there is a quality of timelessness that makes the age of the performers irrelevant. There is also a fair amount of bickering about gender differences, sure to spark recognition and laughter from the audience. The more things change ...
The fact that Kitty’s mythical Garden of Eden will be on stage in a part of Florida that some residents consider paradise should ramp up the believability quotient. But will there be palm leaves instead of fig leaves? Kitty’s keeping mum about the costumes, although he volunteered he has grown a beard for his role as Adam.
The staging of “Original Sin” in Sarasota follows a reading in New York for a producer Schroeder helped locate who was interested in the material.
“Things didn’t turn out as planned, but that’s OK,” Kitty says.
It only took him about a week to locate funding for his production in Sarasota, which Kitty says is testament to local support for the arts. “It’s a wonderful, loving arts community,” he says.
Monica Roman Gagnier
Jill Schroeder and Alan Kitty rehearse for Kitty’s play “Original Sin,” which makes its world premiere Sept. 6 at Tree Fort Productions.
YOUR NEIGHBORS
From the big top to the pet resort
Natalya Demina and her family use similar training for the Pompeyo Family and the Amazing Rescue Dogs for their clients.
LIZ RAMOS SENIOR EDITOR
Natalya Demina guided Charlotte, a 6-month-old corgi, through an agility obstacle simply by having a treat in her hand and telling Charlotte, “Let’s go.”
Charlotte ran through the course in seconds, weaving her small body through the poles about a foot apart.
The yellow corgi launched herself at Demina to get the treat as she received praise for successfully going through the obstacle.
Demina said training every dog is different as each one has its strengths and weaknesses and sometimes, special talents.
Demina, a circus artist and coowner of East County’s AAA Pet Resort, has a knack for seeing those special talents.
She has been a part of the circus
IF YOU GO
What: AAA Pet Resort
Where: 7808 41st Ave. E.,
Bradenton
Owners: Circus performers
Natalya Demina and Jorge Pompeyo
Phone: 744-1080
starting with an aerial cradle act, before joining an acrobatic circus troupe. She went on to meet her husband, Jorge Pompeyo, a fourthgeneration circus performer as a flying trapeze artist, a high-wire walker, globe of death performer and an animal trainer.
But she said the circus life and stunts were becoming too dangerous, for there was an incident while doing an aerial stunt that left her holding onto her apparatus by a finger with no safety net below her. Her husband also had an accident in the Globe of Death that made them reconsider their future.
Demina said she thought of her daughter, Katerina, and what would happen to her if an act went terribly wrong.
In 2009, the couple decided to switch gears, focusing on the dogs
through play, and then training them to be a part of the act. The family has adopted 21 dogs since 2009.
“We rescue them, but then at the end of the day, they’ve been rescuing us. They helped us to get better with training, performances and being able to travel together. We’ve been able to involve the kids in all the journeys we have,” Demina said.
The act went on to become a semifinalist on “America’s Got Talent” in 2017. They’ve performed locally at the Circus Sarasota.
But they have other responsibilities as well with AAA Pet Resort, which they started seven years ago in East County. They wanted to do more to help dogs.
While Pompeyo was on the road with the act Aug. 28, Demina was at AAA Pet Resort training and caring for their four-legged clients.
Now, Demina spends her time working to train people’s dogs from basic commands such as “sit” and “down” to sometimes circus tricks if the owner asks or if the dog seems capable. Circus tricks could involve the dogs jumping through hoops or walking solely on their hind legs or
“We have a lot of talented dogs we wish we could adopt and put them
in the show,” Demina said. “It’s just amazing to see what a dog can do. We’ll go and play and jump through hoops to see what kinds of tricks they can do. They love it. It’s like a new game for them.”
This summer, AAA Pet Resort started offering short interval training, which is 15-minute one-on-one training sessions with the dogs.
She applies the knowledge she’s learned training her dogs for the circus to the dogs at the resort.
“It taught us about watching their behavior, watching their body language and not only concentrating on basic commands but opening up that range and seeing what they can do,” she said.
During the training sessions, Demina is able to determine what parts of the dog’s body needs to be strengthened. Besides physical fitness, Demina also focuses on the mental fitness of the dog.
Demina said seeing the training pay off is gratifying.
She had been working with a 15-year-old dog when its owner came to her with thrilling news. For the first time in awhile, the dog jumped from the ground onto the owner’s bed. Demina had been working with the dog to build strength.
Courtesy image
Katerina Pompeyo guides a dog as it rolls the barrel across the ring.
Photos by Liz Ramos
Natalya Demina, co-owner of AAA Pet Resort, takes Charlotte, a 6-month-old corgi, through an agility obstacle that benefits the dog’s physical and mental health.
YOUR CALENDAR
THURSDAY, SEPT. 5
ROOFTOP ZUMBA Begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Lakewood Ranch Library, 16410 Rangeland Parkway, Lakewood Ranch. If you love dancing, this adult class (18 and older) is for you. It combines happy vibes with classic and contemporary moves. Instructor Juan Baquero leads the high-intensity class on the library rooftop. For more information, go to ManateeLibrary.LibCal. com/Event/12723301.
CREATIVE WRITING FOR TWEENS
Begins at 4 p.m. at the Braden River Library, 4915 53rd Ave. E., Bradenton. Kids 8-18 who would like to enrich their creative writing abilities can participate in a two-hour class that uses fun writers’ notebook exercises and other writing tools. Participants get feedback from library staff. Notebooks, pens and snacks are provided. For more information, go to ManateeLibrary.LibCal.com/ Event/12765959.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 6 AND SATURDAY, SEPT. 7
MUSIC AT THE PLAZA
Runs 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1560 Lakefront Drive, Lakewood Ranch. Waterside Place has not announced entertainers for the Friday and Saturday free music sessions. For more information, go to WatersidePlace.com.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 6 THROUGH
SUNDAY, SEPT. 8
LIVE MUSIC AT JIGGS LANDING
Runs from 5-8 p.m. each day at Jiggs Landing, 6106 63rd St. E., Bradenton. The live music lineup at Jiggs Landing includes Zoey (Friday), Al Fuller (Saturday) and A Pirate Over 40 (Sunday). For more information, go to JiggsLanding.com.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 7
HEALTH EXPO
Runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Mall at University Town Center, 140 University Town Center Drive, Sarasota. Sarasota’s Beauty, Health and Wellness Expo returns to the mall with over 40 vendors in the beauty, health and wellness industries, and features everything from pediatrics to geriatrics. The expo will be held
BEST BET
FRIDAY, SEPT. 6
MUSIC ON MAIN
Runs from 6-9 p.m. at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch. Cassie Jean and The Fireflies entertain the crowd with folk, rock and Americana during the monthly free concert and block party. The September event benefits the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation. Also featured are local food vendors, beer and wine trucks, sponsors booths and games and activities for the kids presented by Grace Community Church. For more information, go to MyLWR.com.
along the mall’s lower level. For more information, go to MallatUTC.com.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 8
FARMERS MARKET
Runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Lakefront Drive in Waterside Place, Lakewood Ranch. The Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch, which was just voted as the top farmers market in Florida for the second year in a row, will run year-round every Sunday. Vendors will be offering seafood, eggs, meats, dairy products, pastas, bakery goods, jams and pickles, among other items. Other features include children’s activities and live music. For more information, visit MyLWR.com.
YOGA IN THE PARK Runs 9-10 a.m. at Waterside Park, 7301 Island Cove Terrace, Sarasota. Start the morning off with gentle yoga with lake views. For more information, go to LakewoodRanch.com.
Strike up the band
Drew Trapani is a retired orthodontist, but he’s not retiring from the music scene anytime soon.
“I was a professional drummer in Chicago for 45 years,” he said.
Now, the Siesta Key resident is a member of the Manatee Community Concert Band. Residents don’t have to live in Manatee County to join, and anyone from students to seniors are welcome.
Trapani and about 40 other members played under the pavilion at Waterside Place on Aug. 27 for the monthly installment of the Sights and
Sounds music series.
The performance attracted about 75 people. The band played classics from Ray Charles, Henry Mancini and Glenn Miller.
Lakewood Ranch residents Marilyn and Marty Munce were tapping their toes along with the music. They were ready for a standing room only crowd and brought their own chairs.
“We attend most of the Sights and Sounds concerts, and also the music on Friday nights,” Marty Munce said.
“I would put us in the category of regulars.”
— LESLEY DWYER
Parrish resident Stacy Major plays flute with the Manatee Community Concert Band.
Waterside Place residents William Insinga and Tayler Hoffman are accompanied by 5-year-old Rudy and 3-year-old Lenny.
Photos by Lesley Dwyer
Conductor Lynn Cleary leads the Manatee Community Concert Band.
Lakewood Ranch residents Brian Moreland and Tracey Baron are in the audience to cheer for trumpet player Kristine Marsh.
Lakewood Ranch residents Marilyn and Marty Munce are regulars at Waterside Place.
Alfi, short for Fettuccine Alfredo, tries to sing along to “Moon River.”
IT’S READ EVERYWHERE
Headed
ligan’s goals for her first 90 days are to strengthen existing partnerships with donors, nonprofits and members of the community; increase awareness and donations through events and sponsorships; and enact the board’s plan for growth and continued sustainability for the future. For more information about the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation, visit LWRCF.org or call 941-208-6799.
Jiggs Landing concessions, music schedule expand
Denise Kleiner, who owns the concessions at Jiggs Landing, said services at the county park return to the normal seven-day schedule Oct. 1.
In June, Kleiner announced that her Outpost would be closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the summer because of a decline in usage.
NEIGHBORS NOTES
Kate Mulligan, who was the general manager for EnsembleNewSRQ, has been hired to lead the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation as its executive director.
Mulligan’s first day with the nonprofit was Sept. 3.
“The Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation is delighted that Kate has accepted the position of executive director,” Board President Mark Clark said in a release. “Her passion for people and for the vision and mission of the organization was clear throughout the hiring process. She is already a key player in the community, and we are excited for our future with Kate’s leadership. Her qualifications are matched equally with her desire to make a lasting impact in the region.”
Mulligan managed all administrative aspects of EnsembleNewsSRQ’s concert series and its fundraising events. Prior to that post, which she took in August 2023, Mulligan was executive director of Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey and of Trenton Children’s Chorus.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in music and nonprofit management from Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and a master’s degree in business administration from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
“I am thrilled to lead an organization that has such a positive effect on the Lakewood Ranch community by helping local nonprofits achieve their missions,” Mulligan said in the release. “It is an amazing opportunity. I want to open the door to the Lakewood Ranch community to help amplify the impact of its giving and to local nonprofits so that they can more effectively achieve their missions.”
According to the release, Mul-
At the time, Kleiner, who has operated the concessions since 2019, said she couldn’t figure out a reason for the slowdown and that she needed to cut hours to reduce losses.
Kleiner said she is down to a three-person staff, including herself.
“It’s just until we get back on our feet,” she said.
The live music schedule will be back to a Wednesday through Sunday schedule. She said a major boost is that singer/musician Raiford Starke, who helped The Outpost “get its feet wet” when the live music program first began, has agreed to perform on Wednesdays.
She said Bingo will be added on Mondays to see if there is interest to continue it as a weekly event and smoked pork and daily specials will be added to the menu.
While the Braden River saw flooding from Hurricane Debby, Kleiner said Jiggs Landing came out of the storm relatively unscathed. She said the floating docks worked as designed and water didn’t reach the buildings. One expensive lithium battery was ruined on one of the tour boats but everything else “is good.”
Kleiner did note that some picnic tables from the Linger Lodge campground were picked up at Jiggs Landing after floating down the river due to the flooding.
She also said residents around Linger Lodge have been hit hard by flooding and that many are regular customers who won’t be coming out for a while.
“Our biggest thing is that we know the locals are experiencing this,” she said. “They are working on their homes.”
As always, the park (6106 63rd St. E.) and the boat ramp will continue to be open every day from sunrise to sunset. A nighttime access card to the boat ramp is available for $30.
Courtesy photo
Kate Mulligan
Riverdale home tops sales at $2,399,00
ADAM HUGHES RESEARCH EDITOR
Ahome in Riverdale topped all transactions in this week’s real estate. Donald and Patricia Wilson, trustees, of Reisterstown, Maryland, sold the home at 3815 Hawk Island Drive to Evis Pina Garcia, of Bradenton, for $2,399,000. Built in 2006, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 4,296 square feet of living area.
SHOREVIEW AT WATERSIDE
Zlatan and Elma Mujakovic, of Lebanon, Tennessee, sold their home at 7936 Sunset Pines Drive to Mark and Tracy Harrow, of Sarasota, for $1.35 million. Built in 2023, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 3,885 square feet of living area. It sold for $1,085,600 in 2023.
GREYHAWK LANDING
Mark and Monica Caraher sold their home at 1454 Brambling Court to Amber and Turgay Murat, of Bradenton, for $1,186,000. Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,541 square feet of living area. It sold for $606,600 in 2006.
BRADEN OAKS
John and Patricia Maraia, of Englewood, sold their home at 3514 65th St. E. to George Adam Bikos, of Bradenton, for $1.1 million. Built in 1991, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,604 square feet of living area. It sold for $549,000 in 2007.
LAKEWOOD NATIONAL
Bryce Holdings Inc. sold the home at 17610 Hickok Belt Loop to Timothy Paul Schiltz and Debra Marie Schiltz, of Bradenton, for $1 million. Built in 2020, it has four bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,269 square feet of living area. It sold for $565,100 in 2020.
Robert Carlton Wentzell and Brittany Laura Wentzell, of Washington, D.C., sold their home at 6018 Brandon Run to Gary and Gina Hecht, of Bradenton, for $1 million. Built in 2021, it has four bedrooms, four baths and 2,868 square feet of living area. It sold for $594,700 in 2021.
ESPLANADE
Tracy Spengler and William Russell Spengler, of Parrish, sold their home at 12748 Fontana Loop to Michael Wagner and Karen Bender, of Bradenton, for $980,000. Built in 2014, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,885 square feet of living area. It sold for $423,300 in 2014.
MALLORY PARK
Domenico and Cynthia Porpora, of Bradenton, sold their home at 12411 Blue Hill Trail to Jeremy Morgan Fye and Emily Louise Fye, of Bradenton, for $980,000. Built in 2020, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,483 square feet of living area. It sold for $475,300 in 2020.
Dale Michael Thomas and Michele Leigh Thomas, of Lawrenceburg, Indiana, sold their home at 12217 Cranston Way to Thomas and Lori DelVecchio, of Bradenton, for $765,000. Built in 2020, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,765 square feet of living area. It sold for $489,000 in 2020.
LAKEHOUSE COVE AT WATERSIDE
John and Eugenie Coleman, of Bradenton, sold their home at 8109 Sandstar Way to Gary St. Laurent, of Sarasota, for $970,000. Built in 2022, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,272 square feet of living area. It sold for $724,900 in 2022.
RIVERDALE REVISED
Donald and Susan Shackleford,
RESIDENTIAL
19-23
of Palm Harbor, sold their home at 4728 Halyard Drive to Timothy and Wendy Perkins, of Bradenton, for $830,000. Built in 2000, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a pool and 2,390 square feet of living area. It sold for $545,000 in 2019.
COUNTRY CREEK
Vincent and Margarita Hoaglin, of Fruit Cove, sold their home at 419 141st Court N.E. to Monica Williams, of Bradenton, for $793,000. Built in 2003, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,395 square feet of living area.
ARBOR GRANDE
Purchasing Fund 2023-2 LLC sold the home at 11913 Perennial Place to Kristyn and Jeremy Haster, of Bradenton, for $765,000. Built in 2019, it has five bedrooms, fourand-a-half baths, a pool and 3,394 square feet of living area. It sold for $730,400 in February.
DEL WEBB
Robert Pecha, of Sarasota, sold his home at 17240 Corinna Place to Raymond Puntoni Jr. and Christine Adam Puntoni, of Lakewood Ranch, for $675,000. Built in 2019, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,872 square feet of living area. It sold for $456,200 in 2019.
David Buck, trustee, of Chester, New Jersey, sold the home at 6754 Alstead Circle to William Patrick Campbell, trustee, of Bradenton, for $655,000. Built in 2015, it has two bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,348 square feet of living area. It sold for $549,900 in 2021.
Raymond Puntoni Jr. and Christine Adam Puntoni, of Bradenton, sold their home at 7617 Kirkland Cove to Michael Francis Panveno, of Bradenton, for $505,000. Built in 2019, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,543 square feet of living area. It sold for $367,000 in 2021.
SAVANNA
Kenneth Reid Jr. and Kyra Michelle Reid, of Parrish, sold their home at 13623 American Prairie Place to Thomas George Lingle, trustee, of Bradenton, for $653,000. Built in 2016, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,287 square feet of living area. It sold for $385,000 in 2020.
MILL CREEK
Nerea and Joanne Sharpsteen, of Winchester, Kentucky, sold their home at 907 137th St. E. to William Koch and Emily Sherwood, of Bradenton, for $615,000. Built in 1993, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,870 square feet of living area. It sold for $359,000 in 2019.
TARA Dale Martin, of Branson, Missouri, sold his home at 6427 Stone River Road to John Minier, trustee, of Bradenton, for $590,900. Built in 1990, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,793 square feet of living area. It sold for $389,000 in 2022.
OSPREY LANDING
Thanh Binh Pham and Thi Phuong Truong, of Davenport, sold their home at 1020 116th St. E. to Judah Hein, of Amherst, New York, for $580,000. Built in 2017, it has three
bedrooms, three baths and 2,471 square feet of living area. It sold for $398,000 in 2020.
CROSSING CREEK
Mathew Yee, of Tarpon Springs, sold the home at 4814 68th St. Circle E. to William James Copeland III and Victoria Lear, of Bradenton, for $545,000. Built in 2016, it has five bedrooms, three baths and 3,186 square feet of living area. It sold for $362,000 in 2016.
GLENBROOKE
Casey Huff and Elizabeth Renfro, trustee, sold the home at 4712 Glenbrooke Drive to Kepa Oyarbide Valencia and Andrea Marie Montavon-McKillip, of Sarasota, for $539,000. Built in 1985, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,611 square feet of living area. It sold for $315,000 in 2020.
THE MOORINGS AT EDGEWATER
Laurie Forden and Carol Forden sold their Unit 202 condominium at 6422 Moorings Point Circle to Jacqueline Harris, of Marietta, Georgia, for $533,000. Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,344 square feet of living area. It sold for $172,500 in 2014.
RIVER LANDINGS BLUFFS
Ernest and Jessica Gilbert, of Bradenton, sold their home at 6121 55th Ave. Circle to Eric Todd Zolnosky, and Sara Katz, of Bradenton, for $528,000. Built in 1990, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,745 square feet of living area. It sold for $380,000 in 2023.
Jay Heater
This Shoreview at Waterside home at 7936 Sunset Pines Drive sold for $1.35 million. It has three bedrooms, three baths and 3,885 square feet of living area.
CHAPARRAL
Donald and Maureen Tulloch, trustees, of Rochester, New York, sold the home at 6035 Anvil Ave. to Larry Holub and Lynne Marko, of Sarasota, for $505,000. Built in 1998, it has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,049 square feet of living area. It sold for $191,800 in 1998.
Donna Gaul sold the home at 6806 Wagon Wheel Circle to Jovan Ignatovski and Violeta Ignatovski, of Sarasota, for $465,000. Built in 1999, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,849 square feet of living area. It sold for $187,000 in 2001.
COUNTRY CLUB EAST
Thomas and Sheena Taborn, of Bath Township, Michigan, sold their home at 14430 Whitemoss Terrace to Mikhail and Tatiana Pastukhova, of Lakewood Ranch, for $500,000. Built in 2013, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,583 square feet of living area. It sold for $317,000 in 2019.
SUMMERFIELD
Amanda Kelly Munch and Roberto Batista, of Gainesville, sold their home at 11242 Primrose Circle to Jose Carlos Zapien-Garcia, trustee, and Sabina Zebovna Tsvetkova, of Lakewood Ranch, for $470,000. Built in 1995, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,802 square feet of living area. It sold for $215,000 in 2013.
Denise Macumber and Debra Marr, trustees, of Bradenton, sold the home at 11309 Pine Lilly Place to Marla Moser, of Lakewood Ranch, for $430,000. Built in 1995, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,734 square feet of living area.
PERIDIA
Ann Donnelly, of Alabaster, Alabama, sold the home at 4306 Murfield Drive E. to William and Carmel Mette, of Effingham, Illinois, for $485,000. Built in 1989, it has three
bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,829 square feet of living area. It sold for $192,900 in 2011.
FAIRFAX
Opendoor Property Trust I sold the home at 4228 Fairfax Drive E. to Robert Wilson Groseclose and Alisyn Groseclose, of Bradenton, for $475,000. Built in 1990, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,907 square feet of living area. It sold for $443,800 in May.
GREENBROOK
Kaelyn Keane, of Bradenton, sold her home at 15318 Searobbin Drive to Thomas Chillemi and Lesley Nikole Chillemi, of Lakewood Ranch, for $420,000. Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,534 square feet of living area. It sold for $271,000 in 2019.
DEL TIERRA
Liza Irving sold the home at 14908 Trinity Fall Way to Ronald and Diane Hoelting, of Bradenton, for $415,000. Built in 2017, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,844 square feet of living area. It sold for $324,900 in 2021.
SONOMA
Nadia Mihajlov and Khalid Nazir, of Sarasota, sold their home at 8240 Villa Grande Court to 8240 Villa Grande, of Sarasota, for $385,000. Built in 2007, it has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and 2,121 square feet of living area. It sold for $277,900 in 2008.
TERRACE AT TIDEWATER
PRESERVE
Robert and Valerie Geskie, of Moseley, Virginia, sold their Unit 445 condominium at 1010 Tidewater Shores Loop to Paul Williams and Kathleen McCarthy, of Kissimmee, for $370,000. Built in 2019, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,151 square feet of living area. It sold for $233,000 in 2019.
SPORTS
Fast Break
Former Lakewood Ranch High baseball player
Colton Gordon, a starting pitcher with the AAAlevel Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Houston Astros), threw six shutout innings against the Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado Rockies) on Aug. 24 in a 2-0 Space Cowboys win. Gordon, a left-hander, allowed two hits and one walk with 11 strikeouts. His season ERA is 4.55 as of Aug. 29. Former Braden River High football running back DeShaun Fenwick was released by the New England Patriots on Aug. 26. Fenwick signed with the team as an undrafted free agent in April after graduating from Oregon State University. He finished the 2024 preseason with seven carries for 26 yards and one catch for a loss of one yard.
… Lakewood Ranch High indoor volleyball junior Kora Yanes had 12 kills in the Mustangs’ 2-1 road win over Southwest Florida Christian on Aug. 24. The Mustangs are 5-4 as of Aug. 30. The Parrish Community High boys golf team (13 over par) won a team stroke play event against Braden River High (29 over par) and Palmetto High (32 over par) at River Wilderness Country Club on Aug. 27. Parrish freshman Owen Paoli (one over par) finished first in the individual standings.
Kim Corrigan and Risa Benoit (19) tied for first place in the 10-18 Flight of the Ladies Golf Association Individual Stableford Points event held Aug. 27 at University Park Country Club. Jean Durkin (19) won the 19-27 Flight of the same event.
“Somehow I always have a little energy
helping me finish strong. ”
Pirates seek offensive answers
Braden River High has scored one offensive touchdown in its first two games, with rival Lakewood Ranch next on the schedule.
RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR
Instead of booming, the Pirates’ cannons have fizzled.
On Aug. 30, the Braden River High football team hosted Sarasota High, attempting to get its first win of the season after a 38-7 road loss to Gainesville High in the season opener.
The Pirates wanted to see improvement in all three phases of the game. They saw it in two: The defense held Sarasota to 10 points, and while the special teams unit made a few mistakes, including a blocked extra point, it also offered exciting punt returns from senior Jaron Fields and field-flipping punting from sophomore Brandin Galloway, including one punt of 65 net yards.
The team’s offense, however, continued to struggle.
In what would ultimately be a 10-6 loss, Braden River (0-2) did not score an offensive point, the team’s lone touchdown coming from a fumble returned for a touchdown by sophomore defensive lineman Freedom McDaniel. The Pirates finished the game with 156 yards of offense and just six first downs. Those numbers could have been higher if not for penalties. Braden River was twice called for illegal man downfield penalties on completed passes, and several long runs were called back for holding.
When not penalized, the Pirates’ running backs could not find room to run, and senior quarterback Lucas Despot often had to scramble out of the pocket to get off passes. He completed seven of 21 passes for 71 yards and an interception.
After the game, first-year Braden River High head coach Jason Grain could only shake his head.
“We need to execute better on offense, and that comes from me,” Grain said. “It’s not the kids. We have a good quarterback, good personnel, good play calling. But we need to take more advantage of our (practice) reps, because reps lead to execution.”
It was a similar story in the first week, when the Pirates managed just 178 yards of offense and one touch-
down, a five-yard Despot run.
Though it did not lead to points, the Pirates might have found a working strategy late in the game against Sarasota by giving the ball to Jaron Fields. The senior wide receiver and defensive back transferred to the school from Lakewood Ranch High during the offseason. Against Sarasota, the Pirates used Fields as a running quarterback to spell Despot, and he delivered 54 yards on four carries. Fields also had two catches for 39 yards and intercepted Sarasota freshman quarterback Hudson West off a deflection.
Grain said the team would increase Fields’ workload as a running quar terback in the coming weeks.
“He has good ball skills, has good short-area quickness and he’s a good competitor,” Grain said of Fields. “You need those types of traits.”
While the Pirates’ offense seeks answers to its strug gles, the team’s defense showcased improvement across the board. After allowing 38 points to Gainesville, Braden River held the Sailors to a single touchdown — a five-yard pass from West to sophomore receiver Chase Fritz — and kept them off the scoreboard completely in the second half.
The team’s run defense was particularly stout, shut ting down Sailors running backs Eli Litteral (16 carries for 27 yards) and Gavin Kubisiak (nine carries for 20 yards).
The Pirates’ offense has to find answers before an important streak is on the line. Braden River will travel to rival Lakewood Ranch High (1-1) to take on the Mustangs at 7 p.m. Sept. 6. The Pirates have won eightstraight games against Lakewood Ranch, including a 41-23 home vic tory in 2023.
The 2024 Mustangs could put that streak to the test. Lakewood Ranch lost 21-14 to Seminole High (1-1) on the road Aug. 30, but in week one, earned a 42-18 home win over Lem on Bay High (0-1), a program that went 10-2 in 2023.
After the game against Sara sota, Grain talked with his team, then remained on the field with his coaching staff, hands on his knees. The lack of execution cannot stand, Grain said. He is determined to get the program’s offense sputters fixed in a hurry.
IF YOU GO
What: Braden River High football (0-2) vs. Lakewood Ranch High (1-1)
When: 7 p.m. Sept. 6
Where: Lakewood Ranch High
At stake: Braden River has won eight consecutive games against rival Lakewood Ranch Braden River player to watch: Senior wide receiver/defensive back Jaron Fields, who also received snaps as a running quarterback against Sarasota High in week two, earning 54 yards on four carries. Lakewood Ranch player to watch: Se-
ODA cross-country runner Kevin Gyurka SEE PAGE 11B
Courtesy image
Former Lakewood Ranch High pitcher Colton Gordon has a 2024 season ERA of 4.55 with the AAA-level Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Houston Astros).
Braden River senior quarterback Lucas Despot (1) escapes the pocket on a scramble.
Photos by Ryan Kohn
Braden River senior Jaron Fields races past Sarasota freshman Owen Montisano on a punt return.
Local golfer sizzles in the summer
Jordan Brown’s golf game is impressive.
Listen to him talk about his game, however, and one would get the impression Brown is not satisfied.
“I usually don’t start well, and I usually don’t end well,” Brown said. “The middle of the round is my best time. Maybe it’s a nerves thing or a momentum thing.”
Brown went on to say he’s not used to winning events, often finding himself in the top 10 or top five of national events, but failing to clinch a victory.
If his recent string of performances is any indication, he has figured out how to change his fate. Brown, a junior at IMG Academy who was raised in Lakewood Ranch, won two national junior golf events in August that will likely open people’s eyes to his game.
The first was the San Antonio stop of the 2024 Underrated Tour, a tour founded by NBA superstar and noted golf fan Stephen Curry in 2022 as a way to increase the sport’s participation in diverse communities.
Brown shot 3 under par at the Oaks course at TPC San Antonio to win the event, held Aug. 7-9. Brown, who has played on the Underrated Tour since its inception, said the tour’s events stand out because of their supportive atmosphere. Everyone is trying to win, he said, but the golfers get to spend more time together off the course, allowing them to become friends.
Brown said he’s even had the chance to meet Curry twice, with Curry telling him that having laserlike focus is the skill most conducive to success. Brown has worked
year, he said he used to get nervous on the back nine. He’s trying to take Curry’s advice and not think about anything other than his next swing, putting all anxieties out of his mind. It seems to be working.
on his focus ever since, as well as other mental skills, such as course management. Brown said it is those skills that helped him get the win in San Antonio.
“I stuck to the basics — hit fairways and greens and try to limit mistakes,” Brown said. “That course, it doesn’t seem tricky when you first look at it, but the ball sometimes sits there in the rough. It’s hard to get out of it. So I avoided that. It was a great feeling (to win). It’s one of the bigger wins I’ve had, for sure.”
It can sound modest when a successful golfer talks about his struggles with finishing rounds, but Brown insists it is true. Up until this
The Underrated Tour win qualified him for the Curry Cup, the tour’s championship event, held Sept. 2-4 at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey.
Between the San Antonio event and the Curry Cup, Brown made another stop at the American Junior Golf Association’s Atlanta Classic, held Aug. 16-18 at Planterra Club in Peachtree City, Georgia. Again, Brown won the 54-hole event, tying Texas’ Nicholas Logis at 8 under par before taking the victory in a onehole playoff.
Even after the Underrated Tour win, Brown said he did not enter the Atlanta event thinking of himself as a favorite, or even necessarily trying to win. That’s not how he approaches tournaments, he said. Instead, he used the same formula
he used in San Antonio — one shot at a time, never getting too high or too low based on the result. Brown said he was used to the tournament’s heat coming off his effort in San Antonio, and the course played to his strengths. Even so, Brown was not happy with his start in the first round, when he had two double-bogeys and one bogey. He used the rest of the round to get momentum and finished with a 1-over-par 73. The next two days, he shot 66 and 69. Brown is at the beginning of his junior year at IMG, which means as of June 15, college coaches can start contacting him. As one would expect, Brown has had several conversations with coaches, and his recruitment is wide open. Brown said he will be looking for a school with both a competitive golf program and solid academics. Nice practice facilities would not hurt either, Brown said. His decision is likely a ways away. In the meantime, Brown will keep
playing national events, and he hopes to always be improving. Right now, he said, his putter has been his friend, after thinking of it as a foe in 2023. Keeping it that way will be a boon, he said. More than anything else, Brown will keep doing things his way — one day at a time, one swing at a time. He advises other junior golfers to find what works for them and stick with it, as he has. “Focus on your own path,” Brown said. “Get better every day, but know that everyone gets better in different ways and at different rates. Figure out what you need to improve on that day.”
Ryan Kohn is the sports editor for the East County Observer. Contact him at RKohn@ YourObserver.com.
Courtesy images
Jordan Brown hits a tee shot during the San Antonio stop of the 2024 Underrated Tour. Brown would win the event, then win the American Junior Golf Association’s Atlanta Classic a week later.
Jordan Brown, a junior at IMG Academy, said he started hearing from college coaches on June 15 and is in the early stages of the recruitment process.
Kevin Gyurka
Kevin Gyurka is a junior on The Outof-Door Academy boys cross-country team. Gyurka finished fourth overall (17:24.60) at the Lemon Bay Invitational, held Aug. 24 at Lemon Bay High. The Thunder finished eighth in the team standings.
When did you start competitive running?
I started running in elementary school. One of my teachers noticed I was somewhat good at it, so in fourth grade, I signed up for our running club.
What is the appeal to you?
It lets me take my mind off school and anything else going on. It calms me down.
What is your preference between cross-country and track?
I like both for different reasons. I like getting to travel for cross-country, just being with teammates and spending time with them. And I like track because the runs are a bit shorter and I get to run a little faster.
What is your strategy for pushing at the end of a race?
I think I just shift into a different gear. Somehow I always have a little energy boost helping me finish strong. I don’t actually know how I do it. There’s no trick or anything; it just happens.
What is your favorite memory?
During my freshman year, we traveled to Huntsville, Alabama, for a race. It was six of us. It was the first time I had traveled somewhere with the team. That trip holds a lot of good memories for me.
What are your goals for this cross-country season?
Looking at my track season from the spring and seeing what times I can reach from there, I think I can go under 15:40 in the 5K. The first race of the year (Lemon Bay) was a tough one, so even though
If you would like to make a recommendation for the East County Observer’s Athlete of the Week feature, send it to Ryan Kohn at RKohn@ YourObserver.com.
it might not look like it, I think I can get into those mid-15 times.
What is your favorite cross-country course to run?
The course at North Port High is fast. I always get my best times there, so I like that.
What is your favorite school subject?
History. I just like learning about the past. I actually will watch history videos on YouTube in my free time.
What are your hobbies?
I play soccer sometimes, and I play video games with my friends. We have been playing Fortnite and Minecraft lately.
What is the best advice you have received?
Never back down, and never give up. In those tough times, it is something I will say to myself to get me going again.
Finish this sentence: “Kevin … Funny. At least I hope
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